Poland Rejects Hosting Allied Nuclear Warheads on Its Territory

United24 Media ^ | August 28, 2028 | Katherina Popilnichenko

[House Atreides]

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski stated at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Warsaw does not want allied nuclear weapons stationed on its soil, according to Politico on August 27.

This statement represents the most explicit position expressed by Polish authorities on the matter to date. Zalewski emphasized that while Poland intends to remain an active participant in NATO's collective nuclear deterrence framework, that role does not require physical deployment of nuclear warheads within Polish borders.

“I would like to state clearly and openly: Poland does not want to have nuclear warheads on its territory. We want to participate in NATO's nuclear deterrence, which does not mean having a nuclear warhead on our territory," he said.

The clarification follows earlier discussions regarding European security arrangements. Poland had previously shown skepticism toward hosting nuclear weapons while maintaining preliminary talks with the United States on expanding American nuclear deterrence in Europe.

[House Atreides]

Poland wants the benefits of being allied to nuclear powers but does not want ITS TERRITORY to be a place where those weapons could be attacked. They want the benefits without the risks. Can’t say I blame them for wanting that.

[ansel12]

They should at least allow the new tactical nukes for Russia, that President Trump has ordered made.

[NorthMountain]

Poland is host to at least one ballistic missile defense site using AEGIS for tracking and targeting, and SM-3 interceptors.

I’d say they’re doing their part.

[Yo-Yo]

As well they should, and shame on us if we were even thinking about basing nukes there.

In this day and age of B-2 and B-21 stealth bombers, as well as SLBMs, we don’t need a stockpile of short range nukes threatening Russia.

[Dr. Franklin]

The present Polish state is 19.5% smaller than Poland was before WWII. It is far more densely populated than the prewar state with fewer open spaces to hide nukes away from population centers. Poland reuniting with Ukraine and or Lithuania might change that analysis.

[PAR35]

The present Polish state is 19.5% smaller than Poland was before WWII

Then give it back the territory currently occupied by Ukraine. Or just restore the 1938 borders.

[McGruff]

Smart move.

[Mr. Lucky]

Exactamente.

[17th Miss Regt]

Poland knows that all the bridges across the Vistula would be a fine target for tactical nukes in the opening moments of a war. They may be thinking that if you don’t have ‘friendly’ nukes on your territory, the bad guy would be less likely to drop a curtain of them and also blast the storage sites.

[Flaming Conservative]

I don’t blame them either, but the better part of deterrence is to be well armed. You can’t have one without the other.

[Captain Walker]

Poland wants the benefits of being allied to nuclear powers but does not want ITS TERRITORY to be a place where those weapons could be attacked. They want the benefits without the risks.

It's either that, or they simply don't want to be part of this American obsession with provoking Russia.

[FlatulusMaximus]

I can’t say I blame them for not wanting to “poke the bear.” NATO seems determined to provoke Russia; perhaps they think they need the distraction of war because their domestic policies are killing their economies. Be careful what you wish for.

[AlaskaErik]

Better brush up on the Russian language.

[alexander_busek]

The present Polish state is 19.5% smaller than Poland was before WWII.

Then give it back the territory currently occupied by Ukraine. Or just restore the 1938 borders.

Completely restoring the 1938 borders would deprive Poland of, inter alia, Silesia - which I suppose you would say should be returned to Germany.

And as for wresting territory from Ukraine - how about first divvying up Kaliningrad?

What with the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, the Baltic Sea has been transformed into a NATO lake, so the Russians really no longer have any use for Kaliningrad Oblast' anyway!

Regards,

[Dr. Franklin]

Completely restoring the 1938 borders would deprive Poland of, inter alia, Silesia - which I suppose you would say should be returned to Germany.

Restoring the Second Polish Republic's Eastern border, AKA the Riga Line, would mean the the border would be 19 miles from Minsk. If it were ever put to an honest vote, people there may prefer to rejoin Poland and be part of the E.U. Belarussians never exhibited the hostility to Poland that many nationalist Ukrainians did. That gets into Soviet propaganda and the destruction of the periodicals in the archive in Lviv/Lwow about the very Catholic Carpatho-Rusyns not identifying as ethnic Ukrainians and not wanting their distinct language and culture forcibly dissolved into Ukraine. That's what the Soviets did.

[PAR35]

Königsberg (Kaliningrad) is a Russian - German question which doesn’t involve Polish borders.

[dfwgator]

German question which doesn’t involve Polish borders

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Moot, when Germans no long run Germany.